


1000 Things

by liziscribbles (orphan_account)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Basically everyone is aged up 10 years lol, High School AU, M/M, Mutual Pining, No Beta, Older Chocobros & Other Characters, Prompto was a teen father, Rom-Com Style Shenanigans, Teacher AU, This is going to be a mass of ridiculous tropes and cliches I hope you're ready
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-21 06:13:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15551430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/liziscribbles
Summary: Noctis is the thirty-year-old music theory teacher at Insomnia High School.  He's had a long string of bad relationships, and has resigned himself to being single for the time being; to focusing that energy into being the best teacher he can be and not worrying about romance.That is... until he meets Prompto Argentum, the school's new art and photography teacher.  Sparks are instantaneous, but will either of them be able to get past their various romantic neuroses to figure out what those sparks mean?





	1. Now is the Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _hey,_   
>  _do you hear, do you hear that sound?_   
>  _it's the sound of the lost gone found..._   
>  _it's the sound of a mute gone loud..._   
>  _it's the sound of a new start..._   
>  [now is the start ;; a fine frenzy](https://open.spotify.com/track/3gEyA6UtRSk1058sev61D6?si=qVueXYVYTjaemuNcmqjtYg)   
>  [ [youtube link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwqeEhs5v-o) ]   
> 

It was too warm to be wearing so many layers. Late August in Insomnia was way too hot to be wearing a sweater over a button-down, but at the very least, the school had air-conditioned buildings. Noctis parked in his spot, and as soon as he opened the door and stepped outside, the full force of the 89º temperature hit him. Instinctively, he loosened his tie so it was a little bit easier to breathe.

The buses were beginning to show up and drop kids off, each and every student looking less impressed than the last as they filed off to start the school year. It was Noctis' third year teaching here, so he recognized some of the students as ones who had started high school at the same time he started teaching. Talcott Hester had been in his class for three years now, and as he rushed across the teachers' parking lot from the students' parking lot on the other side, he spared Noctis a wave and ducked into a side door. Probably off to help one of the other teachers set up, Noctis reasoned. Talcott was often teased for being a teacher's pet, from his willingness to show up early and leave late to help any given teacher finish their work at the end of the day.

High school was cruel. It had been like that back when Noctis was a student, and now as an observer, Noctis could tell it hadn't changed much. Talcott, fortunately, was able to see beyond that and always faced the day with a smile. The kid had a really bright future ahead of him. Straight A's and countless electives; Noctis was honestly shocked the kid hadn't worked himself into exhaustion yet.

Noctis shouldered his messenger bag and headed into the main school building to drop his lunch off in the teacher's lounge before making a rush to the music building. It wouldn't hurt to say a quick 'hey' to the others, either. No, they didn't fall out of contact over summer vacation or anything, but they were his friends and his coworkers. A quick greeting was alright.

As he turned to lock his car, he noticed a second car pulling into the old art teacher's spot.

The spot had been abandoned for a couple years now. It was a shame, honestly. The kids had been forced to go without an art class for two years, while the school looked to replace the former teacher after she retired. Noctis could draw, and he could paint a little bit too, so he'd almost been tempted to pick up the classes himself. The fact of the matter was, though, he didn't have the time. He was already running the school's choir and band as well as his normal music classes, and those were pretty popular. So much so that he already had to add an extra one in to accommodate the extra kids who wanted to take them. Not just that, but while he could draw and paint, he couldn't do either well enough to teach a class.

Now they had someone new, though. Good. Noctis knew that some kids had missed having that extra artistic outlet. Even some of his own students. Before he turned around, Noctis noticed a student getting out of the passenger's side of the car. At least, he assumed she was a student. She waved to the driver, whose shadow turned and rifled around in the backseat, then she slammed the door and turning to look up at the school.

New students often said that Insomnia High was an intimidating campus for newcomers, with its many large buildings and college-like campus. The expression on this girl's face showed how overwhelmed she was right then. She looked around at the pair of buildings behind her—the science hall and the math building—then shook her head quickly and headed toward the administration building. Noctis considered stopping her to help her, but it was probably weird enough that he'd just been standing here watching her for the whole of her evaluation of the school. She seemed to know where the administration building was well enough, so he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

The driver's side door to the car opened, and the driver squeezed out. "Ven!" a blond man who looked to be about Noctis' age called out.

Noctis got a good enough glimpse to notice two things. First, that there were enough similarities in their base appearances to assume that they were related. Second, and maybe slightly more embarrassing… he was _really_ cute. Blond hair tied in a short and messy ponytail, bright blue eyes covered in a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, freckles all over his face… he was really cute and Noctis couldn't help but stare for a few more seconds.

"Wait up! I've gotta take you to Principal Leonis' office before my first class starts," he told the girl. "We've got to sign some papers, and then he said he'd show you where your first class is, remember?"

"Al _right_ , dad, jeez! You don't have to hold my hand for it or whatever! I was gonna wait in front of his office for you," the girl responded in a huff.

Noctis observed from a distance as she shouldered her backpack in that standard and stereotypical teenage huff that Noctis had down to an art at her age. She put a pair of black headphones on, rolled her eyes, and looked away from her dad, who was holding a black leather messenger bag of his own. So, the new art teacher had a daughter. Noctis tried to imagine having his dad teach classes at his high school. The thought made him shudder against his volition. Art Teacher seemed nice enough, though. Maybe not quite old enough to have a high school aged daughter, but that really wasn't Noctis' place to judge.

As they walked toward the administrative building, the dad tried to talk to the girl—Noctis heard him asking several questions—but she brushed him off with short one-word answers and huffy annoyance with every step. As bad as he felt for the dad, Noctis understood the girl's attitude wholeheartedly. Teenagers weren't supposed to like their parents. As they disappeared into the administrative building, Noctis allowed himself a soft laugh at his own memories with his dad, then finally headed into the administrative building himself.

The temperature difference when he opened the door and stepped into the crowded front hall of the school was obvious. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as the cool, conditioned air replaced the sweltering humid heat of the late summer Insomnia morning.

All of the banners and signs in the hallway welcomed the students back to school, and Noctis couldn't help but smile to himself. It was hilarious. Fifteen years ago, he'd been in the students' position. He'd _hated_ the start of a new school year. It meant summer was over and evenings until the next summer vacation would be filled with homework and forced reading. Now, he didn't mind the start of a new year so much. Noctis never thought that he'd like teaching as much as he did now. It was fun, and some of his students had deemed him one of the 'cool' teachers. Honestly, he wasn't sure what he'd done to get that reputation, but if it saved him from the typical teacher problems most of the time, Noctis would take it.

"Hey, Mr. Caelum!" Mia and Julia, a pair of junior girls, waved to him as they passed.

He returned the wave and smiled. "Hey, guys. Gonna see you later, right?" he asked. They had been in his class every year so far, after all.

They nodded eagerly, before turning their attention to something very important on Mia's cell phone. Just as quickly as he'd registered, Noctis wasn't even on their radar anymore. It made him laugh to himself as he passed the principal's office. The blond teacher and his daughter were in there now. The teacher was signing papers, and the girl was standing off to the side, watching out the window as students passed. She looked huffy and annoyed, but Noctis sensed an eagerness to get out of the office and meet people, too.

It really was similar to how he'd been at that age, and he wondered if it was just a universal teenager thing; if all teenagers wanted to _seem_ aloof, while silently wanting to be friends with everyone around them. Noctis also got the feeling that the girl's annoyance with her dad was as much of an act as Noctis' own annoyance with _his_ dad had been at that age.

As he turned into the teacher's lounge and dropped his lunch in the fridge, he couldn't help but smile softly to himself. He had to remember to call his dad later. Retirement in Galdin meant that they didn't get to see each other nearly as much as they used to.

"Ah, good morning, Noctis."

Noctis turned toward the familiar voice and smiled, waving at his longtime friend Ignis Scientia as he walked into the room. Ignis had been the home economics teacher at Insomnia High for almost six years, but he'd been Noctis' friend since childhood. They would often joke that it was a friendship of convenience. Noctis' father was friends with Ignis' uncle, which meant that they saw each other pretty often growing up. The friendship had maintained for years, and developed into almost more of a brotherhood than a friendship. Following slightly behind Ignis was Gladiolus Amicitia, another of Noctis' childhood friends who was more like a brother, and the literature professor.

With a smile, Noctis saluted his two friends with a two-fingered wave. "How's it goin' guys?" he asked as he took some ice from the freezer and put it into a cup.

"Ready to start the year," Gladio answered simply as he deposited a giant lunch bag in the fridge, then paused to pull an energy bar from the bag. "Not quite as ready to have a whole new crop of freshman askin' me why I'm not teaching gym, though."

Both Ignis and Noctis hid small smiles, Ignis behind his hand and Noctis behind a cup of iced coffee. "One would think you enjoyed that," Ignis mused, placing an elegant bento box filled with a whole bunch of vegetables that made Noctis' stomach turn into the fridge. The steak strips looked good, though. "The way you rub it in Nyx's face suggests as much, anyway."

This time, Gladio was the one grinning to himself. "Okay, that part's not so bad," he admitted wryly. "Wonder how long he's gonna wait to ask me to help him this year."

Noctis didn't bother to hide his smile anymore. He stretched his shoulders behind his back, then stretched his neck from side to side. "How was you guys' end of summer vacation, by the way? I never got my Altissian postcard and I'm not saying I'm mad, but I'm also not saying I'm _not_ mad." He wasn't mad, not by a long shot. He knew how long it had taken Gladio to convince Ignis to go on that Altissian vacation, and he really hoped they had spent a majority of it seeing the sights and just having fun together, rather than worrying about the impending start of the school year or anything else back home.

"It was quite nice." Ignis' answer was simple, but there was a tongue-in-cheek quality of it that Noctis clearly picked up, even in so few words. Ignis cracked the top on a can of Ebony and took a drink to silence any further comment about their vacation, then turned to look at Gladio, almost as though he was handing the topic off.

Gladio didn't seem to have much more to say, though. He smirked, nodded, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and said, "yeah. Pretty nice," in an uncharacteristically coy voice.

To say that Noctis was suspicious was a pretty tragic understatement. "Alright, keep it your secret to treasure always," he told them in defeat, before turning his attention to Ignis, "what happens in Altissia, stays in Altissia, or whatever. That just means I'll have to ask Luna for details, since I'm almost positive that you told her."

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what their silence meant. Something romantic had finally happened between the two of them. That something, whatever it was, had been building since they'd both been in high school. Noctis wasn't sure who had developed feelings for the other first, especially since they were a few years older than him and it had happened before Noctis even got into high school himself, but they both went totally stupid for each other at around the same time. If they _had_ finally resolved that romantic tension, which seemed obvious, Noctis would find out one way or another.

"I'm afraid your usual source will be as unresponsive as we are," Ignis responded, before turning on his heel and leaving the teacher's lounge with a final smile in Gladio's direction. If that wasn't confirmation, Noctis didn't know what the word meant.

Gladio smiled bashfully, before turning his attention back to Noctis and leaning against the door frame. "It was a good vacation, though. Iggy's needed it way longer than I have," he mused as he tore the wrapper to his energy bar. "How 'bout you? Did you finally get to Galdin to see your old man?"

Noctis shook his head. "Dad's busy with your dad. Think they mentioned wanting to do the walking tour of Tenebrae, since the big fish pond in the middle of town is open and you know dad and fishing," he chuckled to himself. "I'm pretty sure when winter break comes, we're all gonna go to the Ghovoras ski resort, though. Your dad's idea. I swear, since he and your dad got hitched, dad's way more active and _crazy_ than he ever was."

"Hey man, it's not just yours," Gladio pointed out. "You think my dad would ever have suggested a skiing trip before? Probably would've insisted that he was too tired for skiing and suggested another fishing trip."

"And what's so bad about a fishing trip?" Noctis asked.

Gladio sighed. "You can only go fishing so many times before you realize that you've caught all the fish you plan to catch in your life, Noct," he answered, his tone exasperated.

"You, maybe. Not me, though."

"Weirdo," Gladio mumbled under his breath.

They shared a laugh as they both stepped back out into the hallway. Gladio's class was a building away from Noctis', so without ever really saying as much, they usually took the walk together. Gladio downed half of his energy bar in one bite, then shrugged a shoulder. "So, you didn't go anywhere on vacation, then?" he asked, raising his voice to drown out the loud teenagers as they greeted their friends.

Noctis shrugged. "I did, just sorta flew solo," he told Gladio. "Went fishing, played a lot of games, watched a lot of TV. Went to the movies a couple times."

"By yourself?"

Noctis rolled his eyes. "Yes, Gladio. And if you and Specs're thinking of playing Cupid again this year you can forget it. When I get together with someone, I want it to be someone I choose," he answered. His tone was loud enough for Gladio to hear it, but he wanted to make sure that none of the students heard it. The last thing he needed was for any of his students to think he was a lonely loser or anything. Kids tended to think that about their teachers enough on their own, without any sort of confirmation.

Laughing, Gladio raised his hands in mock-defense. "Hey, we learned our lesson last time, Noct. That Ghiranze guy seemed a lot nicer in his personal ad than he actually turned out to be. I'm just sayin', if you want us to keep our eye out for someone? You just let us know," he offered.

"No thanks."

Gladio chuckled a singular note. "We deserved that. Though, I'm sure you realize that gettin' Luna and Iris to back off is gonna be an even tougher task. Igs and me are easy, the girls though?" he grinned wryly.

Unfortunately, Noctis knew exactly how right he was, and the thought made him heave a heavy and dramatic sigh. "I know. Think Luna is probably gonna feel like she owes me, too, because of the way she and Specs chewed Dino out I dumped him."

Not that he needed to tell Gladio that. Gladio was just as much a party to the situation as Luna and Ignis were. While Luna and Ignis yelled, Gladio and Nyx loomed in the background, a humiliating physical presence, threatening Noctis' ex-boyfriend if he tried to make a scene. As nice as it was, having friends who always supported him, Noctis sometimes wished they were a little bit more subtle about it.

"Hey man," Gladio started as he pushed the door open and exposed them to the sweltering heat again, "the guy deserved it and you know it."

As much as Noctis wanted to disagree with Gladio, he couldn't. His relationship with Dino was a short one; only two or three months and not all that meaningful in the long run, but the whole situation sucked. It was pretty cathartic watching Iggy and Luna chew him out. Not nearly as bad as the revenge that Noctis got on his own afterward, though. A smile crossed Noctis' face as he watched the pavement in front of him. He could feel Gladio watching him, and he chuckled a note to himself. His personal revenge was something that he kept mostly secret from his friends. Not because they wouldn't approve… but because they'd probably approve too much.

"What're you smiling about?" Gladio asked, an eyebrow cocked in curiosity.

Noctis chuckled softly and shook his head. "Nothin'. Just got a good feeling about this year," he answered simply as they approached the humanities building, where Gladio's class was.

"Man," Gladio snorted, "you sound like a student, not a teacher. How good our year is, depends on how good the kids are, right?" He finished his comment with a soft laugh as he started backing toward the door of the building.

With a shrug and a smirk, Noctis waved a quick goodbye to Gladio, who looked at him in even more curious suspicion as he went inside. To be honest, Noctis wasn't entirely sure where his good feeling came from. Nothing particularly spectacular had happened to him so far that day. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling, telling him something good was waiting right around the corner. He shrugged a shoulder at himself, and shook the thought away. Soon, his head would be filled with music theory and learning students' names, instead of self-analysis. To be honest, he'd much prefer the music theory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you prepared for a tropey, romantic comedy of fluffy, (soft) angst filled, drama and ridiculousness, with older Promptis and sprinkles of older Gladnis? I hope so. XD
> 
> I'm honestly not even sure where this idea came from, aside from seeing those screenshots of glasses Gladio floating around the Tumblrverse and wondering what each of the bros would be like as teachers. As usual, it sort of uh... spiraled into Promptis as most things do with me. I hope you guys are ready for some silly stuff.
> 
> The school is based on the American school system, just so you guys know! ♥
> 
> Thanks to Chellie, V, Izu, and Lacie for encouraging me with some fun, silly plotting!


	2. The Kids From Yesterday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _and you only live forever in the lights you make,_  
>  _when we were young we used to say._  
>  _that you only hear the music when your heart begins to break;_  
>  _now we are the kids from yesterday_  
> [the kids from yesterday](https://open.spotify.com/track/5A0OekqQy0rb1pcsf4k0J7?si=2vFu8YfXTiuY5jiJGy_J7Q) ;; my chemical romance  
>  [ [youtube link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edOMidbotC8) ]

Self-analysis thoroughly shoved to the wayside, Noctis shouldered his messenger bag, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and continued to the music building. His first class was the sophomore music theory class. Noctis liked the choir classes and teaching the band and everything, but music theory classes were his favorites. He enjoyed hearing students' opinions on music and what different songs meant. Sometimes, it even gave him the chance to open kids' minds to new (or old, in most cases) music, so beginning with his favorite class to teach was definitely a way to start the day, and the school year, strong. The sole downside was, it meant he would most likely have to listen to some of the kids telling him all about the new boy bands and how he needed to teach a lesson on them, and other kids arguing how terrible it was.

Kids were opinionated about music, which made them all the more engaged in his class. As far as teaching went, Noctis figured he had it relatively easy compared to the others.

Once he stepped back into the air-conditioned halls of the music room, he relaxed just slightly, finished the last of his iced coffee, and tossed the cup into the trash can next to his classroom door. He unlocked the door and headed inside, looking around with a smile. He wasn't sure what he expected, honestly. He'd been in here two days ago to make sure he still had everything he needed and reorganize after the janitors deep cleaned the classroom over summer vacation. Something about being here now, though, made it all the more real. The year was starting, which meant he'd be way more social than he was over the summer.

Gladio gave him a lot of crap about his social habits (or lack thereof) when he wasn't teaching, but he just preferred to spend his time around people he already knew. Not to say he didn't _like_ to meet new people, he was just bad at it. Really bad at it. When Noctis wasn't teaching, he was irredeemably awkward. His students found him cool, sure, but when it came to actually being cool in a room full of strangers his own age? Well... he'd never really learned those skills very well. He shook the thought off, Gladio's words resonating once more. Thinking about his social life when the school year was about to officially kick off was not what a teacher did. It was what a student did. Noctis was an adult, which meant he had to act like an adult. Nothing was ever quite so easy.

Regardless, his ability _not_ to make an absolute fool of himself in front of a room of teenagers was absolutely nothing short of a miracle. Most of his students even managed to think he was _cool_ for some reason, which was even more of a miracle.

Fortunately, the bell rang and dragged him out of the hole he was digging himself into. Soon, students would be filing into the classroom from their homerooms. Noctis headed for the blackboard and took a piece of chalk, writing a short line of musical notes from one of his favorite songs and jotting down a couple quick questions. 'What's your favorite song? Who's your favorite band?' Preparations for his first lesson.

The first group of students—a trio of girls—filed into the room, completely ignoring Noctis' presence and giggling among themselves. Noctis chuckled to himself as he gathered up a pile of worksheets and set them on the corner of his desk.

"Hey, Mr. Caelum!" a couple of boys called as they entered, hurrying to get seats in the back of the class.

Noctis greeted them, then smiled fondly as a large group of students filed into the room one after the other, rushing like they were worried they were going to be late. At the end of the line, Noctis noticed, was the blond girl from the parking lot. The art teacher's daughter. Noctis laughed to himself. He should have probably expected it to happen, but thinking about the situation, it honestly seemed like something straight out of a sitcom. Seeing someone in passing with their daughter, "thinking maybe they're a little bit attractive," and then having their child end up in his first-period music theory class?

That sort of thing only ever really happened on TV or in movies. Weird, but it didn't really matter. The girl took a seat near the front of the class, before reaching into her bag for a pair of black, thick-rimmed glasses and sliding them onto her face.

The other girls stared at her for a few seconds, before whispering among themselves, and Noctis frowned. Whether what they were saying was mean or nice, he could only imagine how it would have felt if the girl noticed them. It must've been nerve-wracking enough, being the new kid in school, without whispering gossip going on in the background. The girls looked her way, whispering to each other, uncaring who was watching.

Noctis had to tread a line. Part of him didn't want to assume the girls were talking about the new girl. The rest of him knew, if she saw them whispering and glancing at her, it would make her think so, which would make her transition into comfort at a new school even harder somehow. There were two ways he could go about it. Approaching them and telling them to stop would only draw attention to it, and the blond girl didn't seem to have noticed it yet. On the other hand, he could hope it would dissipate by the time they settled in and before she noticed.

It didn't seem to be dissipating, so after a few seconds, Noctis cleared his throat to call everyone's attention. "Hey, guys. Teacher here. Mind paying a little attention so we can get this show on the road?"

Most of the kids stopped talking, a couple laughed, but the group of girls in the middle of the class kept whispering for a few seconds longer before finally turning to pay attention. Fortunately, he managed to stop the conversation before the blonde girl caught on. It was a good solution for now, but Noctis had to hope he could find a way to get them to stop it permanently. "I'm Mr. Caelum. I recognize most of you from last year. Some of you are new-" He didn't call attention to the blond girl, mostly because she wasn't the only new student- "but the ones who've already taken a class with me know, I can be a pretty fun teacher as long as you know my rules."

"First of all, talking happens. I get it. You're with your friends and other people your age, you're gonna talk," Noctis told them. Several students looked at him in surprise. "I'd appreciate it if you'd keep it to a minimum, though. And if you'd stop when I ask you to. Especially when I'm talking."

The rest of the rules were pretty basic. Food and drinks were okay, as long as they weren't disruptive. Mostly because Noctis found himself needing a drink of water or coffee or soda occasionally, and he didn't want to hold the kids to a double standard. Headphones were okay when he wasn't talking, as long as they weren't taking tests. As far as teachers at Insomnia High went, Noctis was one of the most laid back. Ignis was stricter, and Gladio was somewhere in the middle. Each teaching method worked in its own way, even if sometimes Noctis had to pull back from being the cool teacher to put his foot down.

After pausing for questions, Noctis immediately got down to the first lesson.

"We're gonna go around the room," he told them. "I want you each to tell the rest of your class your name, then tell us all your favorite band and your favorite song, and why you like them."

The surprised reaction most kids had when he told them still hadn't gotten old after three years. Noctis chuckled softly at the pleasant surprise on the students' faces, then directed the class to start, filling in his seating chart as each kid gave their music preferences. By the time half of the kids had finished, he was exasperated. Half of the groups, he didn't even recognize. Some of them were boy-bands, which was to be expected. Some were foreign boy-bands with abbreviated names. Most of the boys liked heavy metal or alternative music, and most of the girls liked upbeat pop. So far, Noctis had recognized only two of the song titles... and only because they played on the radio in coffee shops or office buildings all the time.

"I'm Ruby Delora, and my favorite band is Shades of Blue," one of the chatty girls in the middle of the class declared to everyone else. "Because I have the biggest crush on the lead singer. What's his name... I can't remember his name but he's way cute. All the members are named after different shades of blue! It's really clever and stuff! And my favorite song is Party Pop Parade. By Shades of Blue, of course! They're, like... all I listen to. We should do a lesson on them, Mr. Caelum!"

It was all Noctis could do not to chuckle to himself, but he managed to keep himself level as he addressed Ruby. "I'll think about it," he told her as she sat down.

From there, there were a couple more pretty standard answers—two more for Shades of Blue, from two of Ruby's friends, each declaring their undying love for different shades, though they were unable to remember their names—and it was a little bit difficult not to show how disheartening it was. Noctis was supposed to be impartial, and it really was the same thing every year, so in a lot of ways, he was used to it. It was hard to hear all the same. Noctis took it as his job to open their minds a little bit; to get them to see beyond modern to some older music they might like.

A few other students gave more expected answers. Popular artists of differing genres. When it came time for the art teacher's daughter to speak up, Noctis wasn't sure what to expect.

Much to his surprise, she completely shattered the trend. "Um..." she started, "I'm Venia Argentum. My favorite band is My Chemical Romance, 'cause I think they're cool and their music is really relatable... and my favorite song is Hey Jude by the Beatles, 'cause my dad... uh... 'cause it's a pretty song. I like singing it."

A much simpler answer than the novels he'd gotten from most of the other kids, who went on and on about their favorite guitar riff or their favorite member of their favorite boy band. She was a new student, though, so he understood her hesitation. Noctis nodded, quietly telling her it was okay to sit back down, but he couldn't help a tiny bit of relief. It was unusual for at least _one_ of the students to like a band he recognized well enough to know. One he liked, even. My Chemical Romance had been one of his favorite bands since he was about the age of most of these students. Venia sat back down with a bright red face, and the next student stood to share his favorite band… and they were right back to the bands and music Noctis didn't know.

The introduction activity took up a decent chunk of the class, mostly because of how excited some of the kids got. That was a part of Noctis' plan, though.

Once they finished, and Noctis' seating chart was filled out, he picked the worksheets up from the corner of his desk. "Alright, cool." He started handing the worksheets out to the class, then leaned against his desk. "So, on the top of the worksheet I just gave you guys, there's a chunk of sheet music. When you get home tonight, I want you to research it. Play it, look in a book, search the internet... however you need to, to figure out what it is. When you do, I want you to listen to the song and write me a two hundred word essay on what you think the writer was trying to say when he wrote it. What were they trying to make people feel? What were the lyrics trying to tell you? Is it a happy song, or a sad song? Any of that stuff."

"You'll be handing them in at the end of class, yeah, but we're gonna read the essays aloud tomorrow, too, and discuss what we all figured out."

From the back, one of the boys groaned. "An essay on the _first day_?"

Noctis laughed. "It's not kindergarten, Bruno. Besides, it's only two hundred words. You guys write more than that when you text each other sometimes, I bet," he shrugged his head to the side.

One of Ruby's friends giggled. "I know I do!" she announced.

Protests came from all corners of the room, except Venia, Noctis couldn't help but notice. She was quiet, but she was actually smiling as she scribbled something in the top of her notebook. Curiosity made Noctis' brows lift, but he didn't say anything. Again, he didn't want to call attention to her. Instead, he looked out around the rest of the class. "There's also a list of albums on the back of the worksheet. I want you guys to go through the list and check off your favorite. We'll tally the check marks up tomorrow, and then from there, we'll figure out which album we're gonna study first."

From the back, Noctis heard a boy declare, "but all of this stuff is _old_!"

Again, Noctis laughed. "I know it's crazy to think Sam, but in about ten years? The stuff _you_ listen to will be old to the kids in elementary school," he pointed out. "You know, I could've just picked a whole bunch of classical. I know you guys would've _loved_ that."

Sam sighed dramatically, and the rest of the class—save for Venia, who was looking over the list with a bright smile on her face—gave a collective disapproving moan.

"I _guess_ I can, like, have my mom help me pick. She likes some of this stuff," Ruby groused.

"What's a Paramore?" a boy in the front row asked Noctis.

With a smirk, Noctis said, "an awesome band with a female lead singer, who also wrote awesome and meaningful lyrics."

Everyone paid half-attention, save for Venia, who nodded her agreement.

"About what?" Ruby asked.

Noctis laughed, slid the seating chart into his folder, and shrugged his head to the side. "Well, if I told you, that'd take away the motivation you guys have to choose them, right?"

A few more students protested, and others expressed a vague bit of interest in some of the bands on the list by their names alone. Noctis was about to tell them his personal favorites from the list, when the bell rang and snapped all of the kids directly out of their conversations, like they hadn't been having them to begin with. Everyone stuffed their things back into their backpacks and then dashed out the door. If Noctis didn't know better, he'd think the classroom was a prison and they were on their way to freedom.

All but one, anyway.

Venia stayed behind, taking her time to slide her notebook and books into her bag. As she did, she looked up at Noctis with her face trained in an even expression. Her eyes smiled just slightly though. "Cool first assignment," she told him, feigning disinterest even as she told him how interested she was.

"You seemed to be the only one who thought so," Noctis mused as he took out a fresh seating chart.

She unzipped another pocket in her bag and glanced down at a small sheet of paper. "I dunno, I just like old music," she said simply. "Better than all the new stuff."

Old music. That made Noctis laugh in spite of himself. "Not that old," he insisted. "Ten years really isn't that long in the grand scheme of things, I swear."

Venia just shrugged. "My dad says that sometimes, too." She looked up, her eyebrows drawn together as she looked toward the door, then glanced back at the page.

Noctis didn't need to be a rocket scientist to put together what was wrong. She hadn't left the class yet, so she was most likely looking at her schedule and trying to figure out where her next class was.

"What class do you have next?" Noctis asked unprompted. Teenage pride was fickle. Noctis didn't want to put her off by asking what was wrong.

Her attention snapped back to Noctis then, and she glanced down at her schedule again. "Um... Algebra Two," she answered. "I'm pretty sure I know where the math building is, but I can't remember where Ms. Elshett's class is... so..." She trailed off then, glancing nervously down at the floor like she was hoping Noctis would fill in the rest.

Noctis smiled as his second-period students started filing into the classroom. "Second floor, third door on the right," he told her, before turning back to his desk and scribbling a quick note for her. "You'll most likely be late, but give her this note and you should be fine, alright? Tell her to call me if she has any concerns."

Finally, Venia managed a tiny smile as she accepted the note from Noctis' hand. "Oh. Uh... thanks," she told him.

He waved her gratitude away, smiled, and gestured toward the door when the bell rang. "See you tomorrow, okay? Looking forward to seeing what band you choose."

Venia nodded, and with a significantly more eager smile on her face, she took off in a jog out the door and toward the math building just as the second bell rang. Noctis turned his head toward the rest of the class as they settled in, and rifled around on his desk for his third-year music theory lesson. So far, his hunch was correct and his first day was going pretty well. He just hoped the trend continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man! Slightly shorter chapters are letting me write this a lot faster! :D
> 
> So, Noctis met Venia and it went pretty well! Now, what'll happen when he meets _Prompto_? :3

**Author's Note:**

> FIND ME!  
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/lizibabbles) ;; [tumblr](http://lizibabbles.tumblr.com)


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